Collapsible crate.



Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

(11 1mm to! C. M .II 6 c C. M. LEE.

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE 1 APPLICATION FILED OCT 8 1915 Wihwoowa I v n M II C. M. LEE.

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. 191a.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Jig, 5. v

cnnsrnn ions, OFiWE-SLEY, IOWA. I

To all whom it may concern: a,

Be it known that I, CHESTER M. LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wesley, inthe county of KossuthandState of Iowa, have invented new and useful Im provements in Collapsible Orates,of which the followingis a specification.

This invention 'relatesto a crate-of the collapsible type which when collapsed re quires a small amount of space for shipment or storage. a

I The primary object of the invention to provide a *bottom section having recesses therein adapted to receive spaced standards on the side sections of thecrate and prevent the outward movementof the same when said sections are in avertlcal position, and

end section when'the crate is assembled.v i

A still further object of the inventionis to providethe crate with novel clamping elements which may be engaged with the end sections of thecrate when the same is assembled, or engaged with the bottom section of the crate insucha manner as to insure thevarious sections of thecrate. re-

maining in a folded condition when the crate is collapsedm" a With these and other objectsin view the invention consists in the vnovel combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and ticularly pointed out in the claim. The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompany- ;ing drawings, although no restriction is necessarily made to the precisewdetails of parconstrnction therein shown, as changes,.al-

I terationsandmodifications within the scope lot the 'claimcmlay be resortedl to when desired. 1 I

coLLArsIBLn cnarn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug.'2i, 1917.

Application filedOctober 8, 1915. Serial No. 54,806.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of theimproved crate constructed in accordance with the invention, the same being shown in an assembled condition. a a i Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the cover SGCtlOIl removed, and the end sections and one side section folded within the bottom section. a a a Fig. 3 is a top planview of the crate in a folded condition with the cover section removed. i V

Fig. 4 is a section on the line H of ig,

1, and i i F g. 5 is a bottom 'plan view of the cover section.

Like characters of reference denote'correspending-parts throughout the several views in the drawings, I

The-numerall designates the crate as a whole which: comprises a bottom section, side and end, sections hingedly connected with the bottom section and a; removable cover section.

The bottom section 2 which isrectangular in shape. comprises side walls 3 and end walls 4:, the side walls 3 being. recessed, as indicated at 5, while the end walls which form a: wall of the recesses at the ends of. the side walls have secured thereto afcleatfi,

theends of whicharein spaced relation with the sidewalls 3 at the opposite ends of the crate for apurpo se which willbehereinafter described.

The side sections 7 each comprising spaced standards 8 and spaced longitudinally extending, strips'9 which are connected with the standards in any suitable manner. Each hinged to the side walls 3 of the bottom sectiomas indicated at 10. WVhe'nthe side sections? are moved'to a vertical position the hinged ends of the 'standards'are dis-y posed upon the bottom walls of the recesses 5 in the side walls 3 and thereby prevent outwardv and lateral movement of'the side sections.

A standard 8upon each sidesection'7 intioned a removable partition 12 when the crateis assembled, and it is desired to divide thejcrate'into twocompartments.

:ofthe. standards 8 have one end thereof termediate the ends of said section, is provided with a groove 11 in which .is posito permit swinging movement of the end.

sectionsin an inward direction.

,The cover section 16 of the crate come prises spaced longitudinally extending strips 17, spaced transversely extending strips 18 and depending side and end walls 19 and 20.

Secured to a plurality of the longitudinally extending strips 17 on opposite sides of the cover 16 and in spacedrelation with the end walls 20are cleats 21, which contact with the standards 14 and prevent inward movement of. the end sections 13 when the crate is assembled.

Securedto a transverse strip 18 intermediate the ends of the cover, is a spring latch 22 which normally serves tohold a pairof sliding doors 23 in the cover 16 in closed position, each of said doors comprising a trans verse strip 24 having the opposite ends thereof grooved, as at 25 to receive a portion. of the longitudinally extending-stripsl'? be tween which said transverse portion of the door 23 is located, and. a longitudinally extending strip 25 slidable beneath the transversely extending strip '18 at an end of the cover section. i .L

Located at opposite ends of the end walls '20 of the cover section 16-are locking members 27 formed from suitable resilient ma.-

.terial and eachcomprising a vertical-portion 'movably connected with the end walls 20 and angularly extending arms 29 and 30, the arms 30 being adapted to be positioned beneath a strip on the end section 13 when the crate is assembled, while the arms 29 are frictionally maintained beneath latches '31 on the end'walls'20 of'the coversection.

It will of course be understood thatwhen the cover is in the above mentioned position the crate is'assembled and that the cleats 21 on the underside of the strip 17 are incon- 'struction which is extremely stable when tact with the upper portion of the standards 14 which prevent inward movement'of the end sectionsof the crate,while the side walls 19 of the cover section 16 prevent undue strain being imposed upon the hinge connectionof the side walls bytthe contents of the crate, and thereby providing aerate conassembled. I

It is, of course, to be understood that the manner of assembling the crate isdirectly reverse to the manner of collapsing the same so that the following description which describes the collapsing of the crate will enable a person using the crate to assemble the same by reversing the operation required to collapse. the crate.

' When the crate is to be collapsed the arms 30 .of the locking members 27 are moved from beneath the top strips on the end sectionsand thecover removed from the crate. If the partition 12 has been used to divide the interior of the crate'into twocompartments the same is withdrawn and placed upon the bottom of the crate. The standards on the end-sections which are now free from frictional engagement with the standards on the ends of the side sections are now moved inwardly until the cleats 14 rest upon the bottom of the bottom frame section. The side sections are now folded uponv the end sections and within the bottom section.

Each end wall 4 of the bottom section-is provided near each end thereof with a 1ongitudinally extending slot 32 which communicates with the interiorofthe bottom frame section adjacent the upper edge of the cleat 6. When the cover section-16 is disposed upon the bottom frame section and the end and side sections are disposed therein the locking members 27 have the arms 30 thereof inserted within said slots withthc arms 29ffrictionally contacting with. the. underside of the keepers 31, thus providing means for securing the cover section to the bottom frame section and insuring the crate remaining in a collapsed condition. a I It will be noted with reference to Fig, 4 of the drawing that the end walls 4 and side walls 3 prevent the outward movement of the end and side sections of the crate when in a vertical position and that the cleats on the cover section prevent inward movement of the end. sections of the crate and cause the standards 14 to register with and abut against the standards 8 on the'side sections 7 when the crate is assembled. From the foregoing. description taken'in connection with the accompanying. drawings, it is atonce apparent that a crate construction .has been provided which is inexpensive of manufacture, simple in construction and durable in use. I Having thus described the invention, what I claim is A collapsible crate. having side and end walls and a bottom to the sides of whichthe sidewalls are connected to fold inwardly of the crate,.a cleat at each end of said bottom extending transversely thereof and having itsends spaced from the side walls of the crate, end bars on the'end walls ofthe crate pivotally connected at their lowerends with the ends of said cleats, a cover having strips upon the underside thereof to engage a with the end bars on the end walls of the locking said cover to said bottom adapted crate and prevent inward movement of said to extend within said slots. 10 end walls when in vertical position, strips at In testimony whereof I afiix my signature the ends of said bottom connected with said in presence of two witnesses.

cleats and engageable with said end bars to CHESTER M. LEE. prevent outward movement of the end walls Witnesses:

of the crate when in vertical position, said A. A. How,

strips having slots therein, and means for I. A. Gmmns.

ilfioples or this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. i 

